Rule of Rose: Jennifer's Story
by leandra1709
Summary: A retelling of the game, with backstories included about Jennifer's childhood and when she was kidnapped by Gregory. A way to flesh out the main character and make us feel for her.
1. Chapter 1

It was June, 1929, when the airship crashed.

Mother and Father thought it would be a nice summer vacation trip to try out the newest luxury airship that was headed to India. I was pulled out of school early, much to the envy of my eight year old classmates. I was told I could come back later to finish up the schoolwork I would miss, and do the tests over summer vacation. I didn't mind at all, since this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. The drive home was unbearably long, as I was very anxious and excited to go.

"Jennifer, please stop squirming in your seat," Mother turned her head slightly to look back at me.

My leg stopped bouncing, "I'm sorry, Mother, it's just so exciting!"

Father laughed, "Cut her some slack, dear, it is something that not everyone will get to experience."

Even with the light heartedness in his voice, Mother seemed uneasy. The rest of the ride home, she stayed silent, only Father and I spoke about the airship, with much excitement.

My room at home was fairly small, but it was always tidy and organized, which gave it the illusion of having more space. My thoughts created images of how much bigger the airship would be and how it would look. No doubt it would be lavish and luxurious.

I set my suitcase on the bed, a king-size mattress with a curtain hanging from the ceiling. Only the fanciest clothes would go with me. Fortunately for me, Mother bought me many beautiful dresses over the years, for all of the events that we had attended. I usually only wore each dress once per purchase. I thought it a waste at the time, but now I was glad I had so many.

Sitting on my pillows at the head of my bed was my oldest friend. My stuffed dog from childhood, Brown. He had been a gift from my grandfather, before I was born. Mother said that when she was about six months pregnant with me, my grandfather purchased the dog at a new store in town.

"I wonder if she'll like it," he wondered as my mother held it on her stomach. According to them, she felt a kick. A sure sign that it was meant to be.

When I was born, I fell in love with it, and when I could speak, I named it Brown.

"What's his name, Jennifer?" Mother tried encouraging me to talk as much as she could, "What's your doggie's name?"

"Bown," I gurgled and hugged him tightly.

"Brown?"

"Bown!" I concured. We had been inseparable ever since.

It was a hard decision whether to take him on the airship or not. On one hand, I wanted him to experience the airship with me, but on the other hand, I didn't want something bad to happen to him.

I decided against it.

"I'm sorry, Brown," I apologized, patting him on the head, "but I don't want anything to happen to you. I'll tell you all about it when we get home though!"

Everything necessary was packed now: clothes, shoes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, and a few books for me to practice reading.

Mother called me to the car, ready to leave.

"Goodbye, Brown! I'll see you soon!"

His dark eyes just watched as I left, but they seemed somehow sad.


	2. Chapter 2

We left in the evening. The drive to the airship was not very long, but it felt it. I bounced in my seat, eager to board it and be up in the sky.

All of a sudden, there it was. My eyes grew wide. I could hardly believe the size of it. It was enormous, it looked like a giant white fish that would just swim through the sky.

"We're really going in it?!" I could not contain my excitement.

Father put his arm around Mother and smiled at me, "Us and fifty one other people."

There was a line, as he said, of fifty one other people. Everyone was dressed in exquisit outfits. Women, with full faces of makeup, men, with their suits and ties, and even the children were dressed well. It was a bit overwhelming.

We waited in line at the very end, but our turn finally came. It was time to board.

"Three tickets, my good man," Father said confidently as he held our tickets out. We were approved and on our way in.

The space inside was filled up quickly with all of the people entering, but it was still spacious. The passengers deck, where we were to be, had numerous places to sit, dining tables, and little nooks to read or look outside. All of the windows were adorned with beautiful red curtains and the tables with table cloths to match. Everything was so elegant, even the other children were as awe-struck as I was.

Father ushered us into the sleeping quarters and showed us where we would be staying. We set out suitcases down, and I looked around. We had a small compact room, but the way it was set up felt comfortable. There was a bunk-bed, and I immediately claimed the top.

"I get the top bunk!" I climbed up and flopped down on the mattress.

Father laughed, but Mother was strangely quiet. She sat on the bottom bed, hunched over. It worried me.

"What's wrong?" I poked my head over the edge of the bed, concern on my face.

"She's a bit nervous," Father sat next to her and rubbed her back, "Why don't you go and explore, Jennifer? Maybe make some new friends?"

Being apart from my parents was not something that I wanted to do, but I could feel tension in the air. I reluctantly left the room to look around the airship some more.

I stepped into the passengers deck and looked around. Most of the other passengers were still getting used to the new surroundings. Murmurs were going around, until a clear voice spoke out, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat, we are about to lift off."

I anxiously sat in the closest chair, closest to a window. I peered out to watch as the ground became smaller as we lifted into the air. My stomach felt uneasy and I wish we had an anchor to the ground. Being airborned was new and scary.

Once we reached a certain altitude, the attendants told us we could walk around again. I immediately went to check on my parents.

Mother's face was white and she was gripping Father tightly.

"It will be fine, dear. You'll enjoy it. Not many people will get the chance to ride this airship," he tried to comfort her.

I opened the curtain on our window wide, "You should look outside, mum! Everything is so small! Look at all the lights!" The darkening sky was illuminated by all of the city lights below.

I did not think she would follow me, but she nervously stood up and came over to me. The tension started to go away and I felt her relief.

"It... is beautiful out there."

Father smiled as big as he could and put his arms around us, "There we go! Now let's have some fun on our vacation!"

We spent the next few hours in luxury. Both meals we had were masterpieces. The last moments of sunlight before it set completely was when tea was served. It was very filling, especially when I compared it to what we normally had at home. The attendants pushed out carts with towers of treats. Each food item came on a pretty white lace doiley. They had cupcakes, scones, fresh cream, jam, and little cucumber sandwiches. I loved every bit of it.

Dinner was served a bit later, after the sun was gone. The attendants had spent all day working on the meal and it was worth the effort. We had appetizers before the main meal, consisting of soup, salad, and bread. Those were standard, but the main courses were the masterpiece. They served us lobster thermidore, roast chicken, king snow crabs, and thick steaks. Everything was cooked to perfection and was delicious. I felt so full after eating a bit of everything, I did not even want dessert.

After dinner we spent the rest of the night looking out our window at the world below. It was an amazing sight.

Mother and Father tried to have me socialize with the other children, but I stayed with them. I always felt a bit shy when it came to making friends. Back in school, my classmates would try to include me in activities or conversations, but I kept to myself. I rarely involve myself with others, I preferred to read books, alone. I only ever felt comfortable with my parents, and Brown. I missed him and part of me wished I had brought him with me. It was a good thing I did not.


End file.
